This issue marks the tenth anniversary of the American Monastic Newsletter in its current form. Paging through it is like a collage of our Benedictine life. It has introduced readers to at least seventy-five new books and numerous other resource materials through its reviews and announcements. Thirty monastic communities in North and South America have had an opportunity to tell their stories in the "Monastery Tales" feature. Readers have found out about meetings, conferences, workshops and classes for a broad spectrum of interests.
Mary Jo Leddy reflected on contemporary religious life, Ray Carey on vocation ministry, and monastics of other countries and faiths on their observations of us in fascinating interviews which I was privileged to conduct. A wide range of others, the famous and the ordinary, have written us their points of view in "An Open Letter From . . ." articles.
We have followed the advent of cyberspace in the monastery and heard reports on the growth of cooperation among federations, between monastic men and women and across the continents. The newsletter itself is now available on the World Wide Web of the Internet to anyone in the world to read. One of the strongest trends that can be traced through these pages is the growing involvement of oblates and other non-professed Benedictines in things monastic. Little bits of news and longer reports keep us in touch with what is happening among those who follow and love the Rule of St. Benedict -- Benedictines, Cistercians, researchers, oblates, laity. With this issue we are pleased to welcome the return of Father Dan Ward's very popular column on monastic life and law.
We have announced the births and the deaths of monastic houses and institutions and have heard of the joys and griefs of monastic communities undergoing major transitions. The elections of over one hundred monastic superiors have been announced here. We have had the sad task of reporting the murder of Rwandan Benedictine nuns and Algerian Trappists and also the sudden death of a beloved abbot primate.
While elected officials come and go, civil servants plod away. I have served six different presidents of the American Benedictine Academy, which sponsors this publication. Each has had his or her own insights and gifts, and each has been a joy to work with -- I hope that at least a couple of them can say the same of me. Renée Branigan, of course, remains the backbone of the operation for the actual production and mailing. She has worked with even more presidents, having been doing an ABA newsletter even before this publication began. We rely heavily, also, on the kindness of many contributors. There is a popular belief that when I appear at any monastic gathering, people tend to leap behind the potted plants to avoid being talked into doing an article. This may be a slight exaggeration, so please don't hide if you see me or better yet, send the material voluntarily before I have to beg.
I would try to imagine what kind of monastic news there will be in the next ten years, but the reality is a mystery, one which will probably hold quite a few surprises. I hope I can be around to report at least some of it. Thank you, each reader, sponsoring community, ABA member, regular reporter, one-time writer, for making it possible for us to chronicle these ten years. We hope you'll not only stick around to see what happens next but continue to be an active part of that history.
Judith Sutera
Editor